Statement of the Problem

Reports on the killings also show that the WoD mainly targets males belonging to marginalized sectors. However, while few women have been directly targeted by perpetrators, each death of a male surrenderee or suspect from marginalized communities means that countless women are left to deal with the stigma associated with being linked to drug users, as they struggle with the heavy burden of addressing the financial, psychosocial, and emotional needs of their traumatized family members (Dionisio, 2020). These women have much to share as everyday survivors of systemic violence and poverty. In addition to their personal voices, it is also through their roles as mothers, wives, partners, daughters, cousins, and sisters of their dead loved ones that they are called to advocate further.

The goal of this research is to serve as an avenue for the voices of these women to be heard, along with their valid grievances and thirst for justice. Building on this initial goal, their experiences and support systems, composed of family, fellow survivors and partner advocates,and the community, will also be assessed through the narratives of the women survivors. Through systematic analysis, recommendations will be outlined based on the needs and strengths of the women, and the remaining gaps for partner agencies and service providers like civil society organizations (CSOs), non-government organizations (NGOs), faith-based, and government organizations, will be identified to enable grounded and collaborative efforts for the healing and social empowerment of these women advocates and survivor families.

Survivors of Human Rights Violations (HRVs) deserve avenues for empowerment and healing through their personal assertion of government and offender accountability, claim-making for reparation, and their powerful voices and roles in advocacy-raising for human rights.

Thus, there is a need for these families to reclaim their rights and lives. Despite an active network of non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and faith-based organizations partnering with survivors, there is a need to build a holistic and comprehensive support system that is rooted in the survivors’ actual needs, and proactively shaped and guided by them as victims, survivors, and stakeholders.

This research will engage the families who have experienced the multifaceted violence associated with the extrajudicial killings (EJK) of their loved ones, explore and assess the different systems that affect their ability to address the issues caused by the aftermath of the violence, and to further assist both support networks and survivors in facilitating relationships and services that are based on client needs and strengths, and would uphold the potential of clients as growing human rights advocates.

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These are the specific objectives of the research:

1. To identify the bio-psycho-social-spiritual changes, needs, and hindering and facilitating factors experienced by the EJK surviving families during the process of grieving, coping, and recovery. 2. To explore the views, meanings, struggles, roles, and processes identified and experienced by the surviving EJK families in their claim for reparation for damages. 3. To determine the factors influencing their desire or lack thereof to seek accountability and claim reparations through the filing of legal cases and litigation. 4. To explore the potential of the EJK surviving families to organize their own association so they can assist and support each other in their needs and have a unified voice in seeking justice and reparation. 5. To identify the network of organizations and programs and services made available to surviving families of the EJK victims. 6. To identify effective strategies utilized by various stakeholders in the advocacy of human rights and seeking justice and accountability from the State/government.

In line with the research objectives are these questions that the research seeks to answer:

1. What are the demographics (age, gender, role in the family of both the EJK victim and the respondent, and their relationship) and the bio-psycho-socialspiritual changes, needs, and hindering and facilitating factors experienced by the EJK surviving families during the process of grieving, coping, and recovery? 2. What are the roles, views, meanings, struggles, and strengths experienced by the respondents in the process of claiming reparation for damages and advocating for their human rights? 3. What are the factors influencing their desire or lack of desire to seek accountability and claim for reparation such as filing of legal cases or litigation, or other ways through which they can seek justice? 4. What are the effective strategies utilized by various stakeholders in the advocacy of promoting human rights and seeking justice and accountability from the State? 5. What and how did the various network of organizations provide support and make available the programs and services to surviving families? What suggestions do the networks have to make their support more effective and responsive? 6. What are the different potentials to organize the EJK surviving families?

Scope and Limitations

The researchers conducted the study with 10 surviving family members left behind by EJK victims. All 10 come from across Metro Manila, five of whom come from the PAGHILOM program based in the City of Manila, led by Fr. Flaviano “Flavie” Villanueva, S.V.D., and the other five from Solidarity with Orphans and Widows (Project SOW) led by Fr. Daniel “Danny” Franklin Pilario, C.M., in Quezon City.

The study sought to explore the different kinds of factors that have affected the surviving families in dealing with the effects of the WoD in their lives, as well as identify their various needs to inform the creation of a network of organizations providing different services.

The study heavily depended on the willingness and desire of the surviving families to speak out, seek justice, and eventually claim financial reparations, and drew from these factors their possible and potential roles in human rights advocacy, including claim-making.

Moreover, because of the sensitivity of the cases and the current COVID-19 pandemic that caused limitations to movement, looking for safe spaces to do the data gathering with the participants was one of the primary challenges faced by the researchers. Mobility and physical gatherings were limited, thus the implementation had to adjust accordingly. Compliance to the minimum health and safety standards by the Department of Health (DOH) was strictly observed for the conduct of face-to-face interviews.

The researchers, with the help of the target programs, conducted a validation test for the target participants. The participants had been pre-identified by the program as: emotionally stable or out of the psychological crisis state, at least 18 years old, and had been exposed to the EJK incident at least two years ago (2016-2018). Moreover, the participants identified or suspected their perpetrators as state agents or related to state agents. Aside from the EJK surviving families, the staff and implementers of the target programs were also given structured written interviews to know their views on the WoD and the strengths and gaps of their respective programs.